Intensity 5.9 Quake Rattles Tokyo Region

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 jolted the Tokyo region late Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021, temporarily disrupting trains and cutting water supplies but there were no immediate reports of major injuries or damage, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: The intensity of the earthquake in Iwate Prefecture caused objects such as traffic lights to collapse.

The quake occurred at 10:41 p.m., logging upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in parts of Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture, with the focus of the quake in northwestern Chiba Prefecture at a depth of about 75 kilometers, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued.

The last time a quake measuring upper 5 or more was registered in Tokyo's 23 wards was on March 11, 2011, when a magnitude-9.0 quake struck northeastern Japan, the agency said.

The agency initially said the magnitude of the quake was 6.1 but revised it down early Friday. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose government immediately set up a task force to respond to the quake, entered his office at around 11:20 p.m. He told reporters he had ordered officials to help quake victims and prevent further damage.

The quake triggered a blackout affecting about 250 households in the Japanese capital around 11 p.m. but power was eventually restored. Railway companies said most subway services operated by Tokyo Metro Co. and some bullet train lines had resumed operation following the temblor.

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